Review – Oakland Raiders – 2010 NFL Draft
Even though in every round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders had picks, biggest Draft-day acquisition had nothing to do with any of those picks. The Raiders sent their 2012 fourth round pick to the Washington Redskins for Jason Campbell, their starting quarter back of the past two years, on day 3. Quarterback play has been one of Oakland’s most glaring weaknesses in recent years. A league low, they threw 10 touchdowns last season.
The Raiders, football betting favorite, seemed to have added quality players through the draft, in addition to adding a somewhat proven quarterback. They drafted top-rated inside linebacker Rolando McClain, with the eighth overall pick. The team has already given McClain a vote of confidence by dealing away linebacker Kirk Morrison, one of the Raiders’ top defensive players of the past four years.
Oakland entered the draft in the market for elite defensive linemen, with the 29th ranked rushing defense last season. On Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston, they used their second round selection. He had 68 tackles (22 for a loss) and 8 sacks last season en route to earning second-team All-Big 12 honors last season.
On offensive tackles, the Raiders used their next two picks. As Oakland gave up the third-most sacks in the NFL last season, this should be of particular interest to their newly acquired quarterback. In the third round, they took offensive tackle Jared Veldheer out of Hillside (Mich.) They landed Maryland offensive tackle Bruce Campbell, in the fourth round.
Oakland selected a wide receiver (Jacoby Ford, Clemson, 4th round), two cornerbacks (Walter McFadden, Auburn, 5th; Jeremy Ware, Michigan State, 7th), another linebacker (Travis Goethel, Arizona State, 6th), and a safety (Stevie Brown, Michigan, 7th), in rounds 4-7.
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